Pact of Juno and Venus and the Royal Hunt — Virgil, Aeneid Book 4 (lines 81–161), Latin & English

luna premit suadentque cadentia sidera somnos,

while the moon sinks and the setting stars invite sleep,

sola domo maeret vacua, stratisque relictis

she mourns alone in her empty house, and on the abandoned couch

incubat, illum absens absentem¹ auditque videtque;

she lies; absent, she both hears and sees him who is absent.

aut gremio Ascanium, genitoris imagine capta,

Or she holds Ascanius in her lap, captivated by his father’s likeness,

detinet, infandum si fallere possit amorem.

if only she might beguile her unspeakable love.

Non coeptae adsurgunt turres, non arma iuventus

The towers begun do not rise, the youth do not practice

exercet, portusve aut propugnacula bello

arms, nor do they prepare harbors or ramparts safe

tuta parant; pendent opera interrupta, minaeque

for war; the works hang interrupted, and the huge threats

murorum ingentes aequataque machina caelo.

of the walls and the cranes leveled with heaven.

Quam simul ac tali persensit peste teneri

As soon as the dear wife of Jupiter perceived that she was held

cara Iovis coniunx, nec famam obstare furori,

by such a plague, and that her reputation did not withstand her madness,

talibus adgreditur Venerem Saturnia dictis:

the daughter of Saturn addresses Venus with such words:

Egregiam vero laudem et spolia ampla refertis²

”Indeed distinguished praise and ample spoils you carry off,

tuque puerque tuus, magnum et memorabile numen,

both you and your boy; a great and memorable power,

una dolo divom si femina victa duorum est!

if one woman is conquered by the trick of two gods!

Nec me adeo fallit veritam te moenia nostra

Nor does it escape me that you, fearing our walls,

suspectas habuisse domos Karthaginis altae.

have held the homes of high Carthage in suspicion.

Sed quis erit modus, aut quo nunc certamine tanto?

But what will be the limit, or where do we go now with so great a contest?

Quin potius pacem aeternam pactosque hymenaeos

Why do we not rather cultivate eternal peace and promised marriage?

100

exercemus? Habes, tota quod mente petisti:

You have what you sought with your whole heart:

ardet amans Dido, traxitque per ossa furorem.

loving Dido burns, and has drawn the madness through her bones.

Communem hunc ergo populum paribusque regamus

Therefore, let us rule this common people with equal

auspiciis; liceat Phrygio servire marito,

authority; let her serve a Phrygian husband,

dotalisque tuae Tyrios permittere dextrae.

and yield the Tyrians as a dowry to your right hand.”

105

Olli—sensit enim simulata mente locutam,³

Venus, perceiving that she had spoken with a feigned mind,

quo regnum Italiae Libycas averteret oras—

in order to turn the kingdom of Italy to the Libyan shores,

sic contra est ingressa Venus: Quis talia demens

thus began in reply: “Who is so mad as to reject

abnuat, aut tecum malit contendere bello,

such offers, or prefer to contend with you in war?

si modo, quod memoras, factum fortuna sequatur.

If only fortune should follow the deed which you mention.

110

Sed fatis incerta feror, si Iuppiter unam

But I am driven uncertain by the fates, whether Jupiter wishes

esse velit Tyriis urbem Troiaque profectis,

there to be one city for the Tyrians and those set out from Troy,

miscerive probet populos, aut foedera iungi.

or whether he approves that the peoples be mixed, or alliances joined.

Tu coniunx tibi fas animum temptare precando.

You are his wife; it is lawful for you to test his mind by entreaty.

Perge; sequar . Tum sic excepit regia Iuno:

Go on; I will follow.” Then royal Juno thus replied:

115

Mecum erit iste labor: nunc qua ratione, quod instat

”With me shall be that task. Now in what manner what is at hand

confieri possit, paucis, adverte, docebo.

can be accomplished, attend, I will teach in a few words.

Venatum Aeneas unaque miserrima Dido

Aeneas and the most wretched Dido together

in nemus ire parant, ubi primos crastinus ortus

are preparing to go to the grove to hunt, when tomorrow’s Titan

extulerit Titan, radiisque retexerit orbem.

shall have brought forth the first risings, and uncovered the world with his rays.

120

His ego nigrantem commixta grandine nimbum,⁴

Upon these I will pour down from above a black cloud mixed with hail,

dum trepidant alae, saltusque indagine cingunt,

while the riders gallop and surround the lawns with nets,

desuper infundam, et tonitru caelum omne ciebo.

and I will rouse the whole heaven with thunder.

Diffugient comites et nocte tegentur opaca:

The companions will scatter and be covered by dark night:

speluncam Dido dux et Troianus eandemdevenient; adero, et, tua si mihi certa voluntas,

Dido and the Trojan leader will come to the same

hic hymenaeus erit. —Non adversata petenti

cave. I will be present, and, if your certain goodwill is mine, here will be their wedding.”

adnuit, atque dolis risit Cytherea repertis.

Not opposing her request, Cytherea nodded, and smiled at the discovered tricks.

Oceanum interea surgens Aurora reliquit.

Meanwhile, rising Aurora left the Ocean.

130

It portis iubare exorto delecta iuventus;

The chosen youth go forth from the gates when the light has arisen;

retia rara, plagae, lato venabula ferro,

wide-meshed nets, snares, hunting spears with broad iron,

Massylique ruunt equites et odora canum vis.

and Massylian horsemen rush out, and the keen-scented strength of dogs.

Reginam thalamo cunctantem ad limina primi

The chiefs of the Carthaginians await the Queen delaying in her chamber

Poenorum exspectant, ostroque insignis et auro

at the threshold, and, conspicuous in purple and gold,

135

stat sonipes, ac frena ferox spumantia mandit.

stands her steed, and fiercely chews the foaming bit.

Tandem progreditur, magna stipante caterva,

At length she steps forth, with a great crowd thronging,

Sidoniam picto chlamydem circumdata limbo.

wrapped in a Sidonian cloak with an embroidered border.

Cui pharetra ex auro, crines nodantur in aurum,

Her quiver is of gold, her hair is tied into gold,

aurea purpuream subnectit fibula vestem.

a golden buckle fastens her purple garment below.

140

Nec non et Phrygii comites et laetus Iulus

Moreover, the Phrygian companions and joyful Iulus

incedunt. Ipse ante alios pulcherrimus omnis

advance. Aeneas himself, beautiful beyond all others,

infert se socium Aeneas atque agmina iungit.

joins himself as a companion and unites the bands.

Qualis ubi hibernam Lyciam Xanthique fluenta

Like Apollo, when he leaves wintry Lycia and the streams of Xanthus

deserit ac Delum maternam invisit Apollo,

and visits his maternal Delos,

145

instauratque choros, mixtique altaria circum

and renews the dances, and Cretans and Dryopes

Cretesque Dryopesque fremunt pictique Agathyrsi;

and painted Agathyrsi mingle and howl around the altars;

ipse iugis Cynthi graditur, mollique fluentem

he himself walks on the ridges of Cynthus, and with soft foliage

fronde premit crinem fingens atque implicat auro;

shapes and presses his flowing hair and entwines it with gold;

tela sonant umeris: haud illo segnior ibat

his weapons rattle on his shoulders: no less actively did

150

Aeneas; tantum egregio decus enitet ore.

Aeneas go; so much grace shines forth from his noble face.

Postquam altos ventum⁵ in montis atque invia lustra,

After they came into the high mountains and trackless coverts,

ecce ferae, saxi deiectae vertice, caprae

lo, wild goats, cast down from the top of the rock,

decurrere iugis; alia de parte patentis

ran down the ridges; from another part the stags

transmittunt cursu campos atque agmina cervi

cross the open plains in their course, and gather their dusty bands

155

pulverulenta fuga glomerant montisque relinquunt.

in flight, and leave the mountains.

At puer Ascanius mediis in vallibus acri

But the boy Ascanius in the midst of the valleys rejoices in his fierce

gaudet equo, iamque hos cursu, iam praeterit illos,

horse, and now passes these, now those in his course,

spumantemque dari pecora inter inertia votis

and prays that a foaming boar be given among the helpless herds

optat aprum, aut fulvum descendere monte leonem.

to his vows, or that a tawny lion descend from the mountain.

160

Interea magno misceri murmure caelum

Meanwhile, the sky begins to be mixed with a great rumbling;

incipit; insequitur commixta grandine nimbus;

a rainstorm follows with mingled hail;

Syntax notes5 items

4.83illum absens absentem
The juxtaposition of the nominative 'absens' (she, being absent) and the accusative 'absentem' (him, who is absent) is a rhetorical polyptoton emphasizing Dido's obsession, keeping them spiritually united despite their physical separation.
4.93Egregiam vero laudem et spolia ampla refertis
A bitter irony (antiphrasis) directed by Juno at Venus. The subject of the main verb 'refertis' (you bring back) is 'tuque puerque tuus' (you and your boy [Cupid]) in the following line.
4.105simulata mente locutam
The phrase 'locutam [esse]' is an infinitive with subject accusative, serving as the object of 'sensit' (she perceived). 'simulata mente' (with a feigned mind) is an ablative of manner, showing that Venus saw through Juno's hidden motives.
4.120His ego nigrantem commixta grandine nimbum
The core structure of the main clause is 'ego... infundam... ciebo' (I... will pour down... and stir up). 'His' is a dative depending on 'infundam' in line 122. The 'dum' clause in line 121 is inserted between them.
4.151ventum
'ventum [est]' is the impersonal passive of the intransitive verb 'venire' (to come), meaning 'when they came' or 'it was arrived'. This is a common Latin idiom used to describe an action without specifying the agent.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22)urn:cts:latinLit:phi0690.phi003.humanitext-lat2:4.81-4.161